CChallenge yourself with the perfect blend of strength and endurance at the Midlands Ultra Marathon.

The Midlands Ultra Triathlon takes place, on Nelson Mandela Day, at the Mandela Capture Site and Midmar Dam in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.

Nelson Mandela Day commemorates the life of service Mr. Mandela gave to South Africa and the world. It encourages us to try and make the world a better place.

The triathlon is the newbie of the pack which adds to the impressive portfolio of Madiba – inspired events, such as the Mandela Marathon, Mandela Trail Run and the Mandela Mountain Bike race. Triathlons are growing in popularity as people look for more challenging events to test their mettle.

Did You Know?

TThe starting and finishing points of the race form part of the Freedom Route which highlights the freedom related struggles of the different freedom icons of KwaZulu-Natal such as Alan Paton and Albert Luthuli.

TThere are three different triathlon events that can be entered into. First is the shortest race, the Mini Triathlon which consists of a 200m swim, 5km cycle and a 2.5km run. The middle-distance event is the Sprint Triathlon which is made up of a 600m swim, 20km cycle and a 5km run. The Olympic race is the longest and consists of a 1.5km swim, a 40km cycle and a 10km run.

The triathlon’s running route starts from Arya Samaj Hall (Manayi Hall) in Imbali, where Nelson Mandela made his last public speech on 25 March 1961 at the All-in-Africa conference. Then onto The Nelson Mandela Capture Site where he was arrested outside Howick on the 5th of August 1962.

Midlands Ultra Marathon

TThis is a great and energetic way to learn all about the history of South Africa and what it has taken for it to get to where it is today, especially the sacrifices that people made for South Africa’s future.

The challenge of taking part in three different sports within one event embodies Madiba’s own struggle and perseverance to achieve his goal of a unified South Africa and the strength to finish his own long walk to freedom.

The triathlon is a symbol of peace and reconciliation with people of all races coming together to take part in the event.

MMr. Mandela believed that sport has the power to change the world and unite people in a way that little else does. It is through this coming together of people from different backgrounds that we can learn from each other and change the world.

If there’s anything that Nelson Mandela has taught us it’s to free ourselves, free others and serve the world every single day. Take part in the Midlands Ultra Marathon and run free.

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